Waldemar Ariel Gala

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Waldemar Ariel Gala – a young entrepreneur of Polish and German descent. He is the start-up founder and the originator of DESK.WORKS application. He is, as he describes himself, a mental punk who doggedly fights for his dreams. DESK.WORKS is yet another of his business ideas – he created his first business plan when he was 16, living in Berlin. He gained experience through both successes and failures. Today, he uses his knowledge to bring creative ideas to live, one of them being DESK.WORKS.

Please provide a brief overview of your product/ service.

DESK.WORKS allows users to find and book a place to work wherever and whenever they need it. There’s no need for signing a month-long lease or doing research on the web anymore. Thanks to our app, whenever you need to find an office to work on your business trip, even just for a day, you can do it in just a few steps in our app. The whole process takes minutes and is simpler than ever before.

What inspired you to build the above product/ service?

The idea for DESK.WORKS was inspired by difficulties I have come across during business travels in the past. Without having the possibility to find a place to work with just a few taps in a mobile app, working while traveling was very inconvenient.

What is your life mantra?

Karma is like 69 – you get what you give.

What was the most challenging part of your journey till now?

With DESK.WORKS two challenges stand out the most – creating a user-friendly app, that is as clear and functional as it is revolutionary and providing users with a comprehensive base of working spaces to choose from. It’s not easy to build a mobile platform that all users would like and use many times. Same goes for finding partners from around the globe that would offer their spaces in our app. Finding a couple of them is easy, but making sure that users can find a place to work in every corner of the world is quite challenging.

How did you overcome those challenges?

Our app is a solution to a problem that many business people face. In addition, the whole world shifts towards mobile solutions, so using our app comes naturally for people it is meant for. The simplicity of use and the fact that is always there, waiting for you in your pocket makes it easy for anyone to adapt and start using it as if it were there all along.

Share some details about the investments that you have been able to fetch for the business till now.

Till now, we have secured two investments – €250000 from german business angels and one more investment from US investor, who wishes to remain anonymous.

According to you, what are the three qualities an individual must have to achieve success?

Only people who are relentless, cunning and devoted to their cause can achieve success. You have to believe in what you do, otherwise, failure is imminent.

Which online tools/ services/ apps do you use the most and would like to recommend as well?

My go-to app for communicating with my team is Slack. We all use it daily and are happy with it. Wunderlist and Trello are another apps that I use daily – they help me and my team stay on top of our tasks.

Share any one habit which you think makes you more productive.

That would have to be waking up early. Time is a very precious commodity, therefore it is important to wake up a little earlier to make sure that you have enough of it, to do everything you need to do.

Share any one habit which you wish to change in yourself.

I would like to be more punctual. Sometimes it’s hard for me to be on time, but I work hard to improve myself.

Answer in less than 50 words

One tip to success:

Be fast. In the startup world, if you are lagging behind, you will never be on top. Make sure you always adapt to the current situation and that you are first to give your customers what they need.

One mistake you believe every individual must avoid:

Giving up. Even when you fail, you have to get up and move on. Learn from your mistakes and do it better next time. Giving up is the biggest mistake you can make.

One most important lesson that you have learnt till now:

The most valuable lesson I have learned would have to be that you cannot stay behind your competition. Speed is the key, and without it, there is no success.

What are your plans for next 3 years?

Our ultimate goal with DESK.WORKS is to reach an IPO stage, and we would definitely like to achieve that before the next 3 years pass. Other than that, we do not have that far-reaching plans. Startup scene changes so fast, that planning three years ahead is impossible. In the near future, we would like to complete series A round of funding.

If you get a chance to start your career again what would you do differently this time?

Nothing. I believe that every experience I had made me who I am today and I value them all – both the bad and the good. I don’t think I would be where I am today if it wasn’t for not only good things that happened to me but also failures. Everything that happens to us makes us stronger and better, which is why I would not change a thing.

What are your top three getaway destinations?

Berlin to get some inspiration from interesting people and gather feedback about my business from German business community. Madeira to get some rest and distance myself from everyday routine. Clean air and beautiful landscapes help me chill out. And last but not least – Silicon Valley, to put things into perspective. Seeing how other companies motivate me to work harder on my business. By going there I remind myself that no matter how big my success is, there is always someone who I can look up to.